Winter running

I managed the long run this morning.  And I'm feeling a bit more upbeat than Monday.  First lecture of the year over and a spring in my step.

Well, that's hardly the case as the reality of winter running hit me as hard as the wind that whipped around my bare arms this morning.  I have always said that I open air swim in the summer to cool down and open air run in the winter to warm up.  This is the order of things - the way it should be.  

This year, however, I discovered the joys of running on lovely summer mornings and as I left for my run today (complete with nutrition and hydration - no more bollockings from tri-coach dara for me) I realised that the temperature has dropped a smidgeon.  I have obviously been looking back to last winter through rose-tinted specs as I had forgotten the misery of running round an open park and feeling so cold that I actually cried.  I had also forgotten the joys of double layering so that my arse doesn't go blue and the misery of sweating into a knitted beanie hat.

And much worse, I remember how much I hate running in the rain.  I hate wet weather gear and would sooner (and have) got soaking through and through rather than wear it.   And I hate mud which only comes with (and after) the rain.

This year I am going to get myself some really cool winter training clothes.  Here's the list:

1) A wet weather jacket that doesn't make me sweat and that folds up so small that I can carry it.
2) Warm running tights (so that I don't have to wear two pairs).
3) Warm socks.
4) A proper runner's beanie hat that won't retain forty pounds of my sweat in it.
5) Another pair of really warm running tights so that when I get wet and muddy (did I mention that I really, really, hate mud?) I don't have to wash and dry them overnight.
6)  Some long sleeved running tops so that I don't have really cold arms for 15 minutes before I warm up.
7)  A better attitude to running in the rain.

Running is really cheap - you only need decent trainers and the rest doesn't really matter.  But I justify this long list by the fact that I'm training for a marathon and while the clothes won't make the running any easier they will make those winter mornings much more pleasant.

And, by the way, did I mention that I really, really hate mud?